BSP to go alone in Lok Sabha polls: Mayawati

Mayawati said that she has already gone with the saffron party in the state and would not do it again as there had been no change in its ideology.

Bahujan Samaj Party will field candidates in all 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh and will not go with “communal” BJP and its allies for government formation, its supremo Mayawati said on .

Releasing BSP’s list of all candidates in the state in one instalment “unlike political opponents”, she said her party is contesting the elections with full preparation to “emerge as the balance of power at the Centre”. “Once we emerge as balance of power, we will take the help of only secular parties for forming the government,” the BSP supremo said.

On BJP with whose support she had formed the government in UP thrice, Mayawati said that she has already gone with the saffron party in the state and would not do it again as there had been no change in its ideology.

“We have tried BJP thrice in UP and there has not been any change in their thinking and ideology. When we were in a coalition we ran the government as per our ideology and once they tried to interfere in it we opted out,” she said. “Instead of issues like unemployment, corruption and poverty, the coming elections appear to be a contest between two ideologies of communalism and secularism,” she said, adding that most parties have fielded their candidates keeping this fact in mind.

The former chief minister asserted that her party would fight the coming polls with all its strength to check communal parties from coming to power and, at the same time, said that Congress-led UPA which has “failed on all fronts” should not be allowed to return. Asked whether she would take the help of Samajwadi Party for government formation, she said that BSP does not consider it as a secular party.

“SP government’s tenure in Uttar Pradesh so far has been really bad specially on the law and order and development front… so there would be every effort to ensure that this time the right party leads the government at the Centre on the policy of ‘Sarvjan Hitai Sarvjan Sukhai (for the benefit and happiness of all),” she said.

On the candidature of BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav from Varanasi and Azamgarh respectively, she said, “her party believes that the decision of both contesting from Purvanchal is the result of a well planned internal understanding.

She alleged that such a “conspiracy” was to give the contest a communal colour, and appealed to people to ensure that the communal forces are not be allowed to win.

Through media, she also requested the Chief Election Commissioner to keep a close watch on the campaigning of the two as “they could spoil the atmosphere of the country”.

Replying to a question, Mayawati ruled out having any talks with Trinamool Congress’ Mamata Banerjee or AIADMK’s Jayalalithaa saying that since her party is contesting on its own there was no question of any discussion.

Advising her cadres to desist from “Manuvadi” media campaign, she took strong exception to reports in a section that she would be entering into the contest from Lalganj (reserved) seat adjacent to Azamgarh from where Mulayam Singh is in the fray.

“I am not aware that I am going to contest from Lalganjseat (in Azamgarh) and party leaders Satish Chandra Mishra or Naseemuddin Siddiqui from Varansi and Azamgarh seats respectively, I contradict such news items published in a section of media”, she said.

On the occasion, she released the list of names of candidates for all 80 seats in UP which she said have been decided keeping in mind the representation of all sections of society and their support to the party.

“On 17 reserved seats, different castes of SCs have been fielded, 15 backwards, 19 Muslims while 29 upper castes including 21 Brahmins and eight Kshatriya have been given tickets,” Mayawati said, adding that seven women have also been fielded.

She said her party would also field candidates in other states where the movement and the organisation has come into being and their lists would be announced soon.

Mayawati would begin her campaign all over the country from March 22 and devote 90 per cent of her time in UP where she would address the first meeting in Bijnore on April 3. The BSP, which does not issue poll manifestos like other parties, instead issued 24 page booklet in the form of Mayawati’s appeal.